And have nobody to blame but themselves...
I saw an article on the BBC today where Christian Horner stated Red Bull were right on the cusp of not being able to fully prepare for 2016.
It's the old five to midnight on the clock and they are still faffing around trying to find an engine for next year.
In it for racing and F1 or in it for marketing?
I ask myself, and indeed you, would a pure racing team such as Williams have thrown their toys out of the pram so far and loudly when their engine partner falls below their expectations?
Perhaps they might. But would a pure racing team completely tear their engine partner to shreds in public and actively look to turn the relationship so toxic that there is no other alternative than to dissolve the partnership - even though there are zero obvious alternatives to give you an engine?!
No, I don't think so.
In this aspect alone, Red Bull really must stop whinging and either put up or get the hell out of F1.
I don't like them...but...
They have been a breath of fresh air for F1 in some terms. Though, they nearly killed my interest in the 2013 season when Vettel dominated the last half of the season like Hamilton has this season.
I despise Helmut Marko and think Horner needs to grow his vocabulary above and beyond "Yeah, no, absolutely!".
I strongly disliked the blatant favouring of Vettel over Webber, even in 2010 when Vettel was not a champion. Just look at Turkey that year - blatantly Vettel moved into Webber, and everyone bar the actual team owner blames Webber!
All that said, Dietrich Mateschitz more often than not seems like a sensible chap.
F1 will survive without them
Will it though? I would like to hope so...But at the same time, if they leave and take Torro Rosso with them, thats four pretty racey cars that in all probability will be replaced by backmarker teams - making the Mercedes procession ever more straightforward.
So, I'd rather Red Bull raced next year for sure. Plus in Ricciardo and Kvyat, they have two hugely talented guys. And indeed Verstappen and Sainz Jr.
In it to win it, else we'll pack up and go home
If Williams doesn't win, they try and get back to the top as they exist to race.
If Red Bull stops winning, they may pack up and go home as they exist to market a product.
I mean, sure we have had quit threats from huge teams in the past, but that was different. That is because they didn't like rule and regulation changes.
Red Bull have turned their engine partnership so toxic, they had to divorce without having a replacement in mind! Stupid idiots.
They whinge that Mercedes and Honda don't want to do a deal. They don't have to do anything!!
Well, rumour is that Honda do but are being blocked by Evil Ron - snigger.
Ferrari want to supply them with a 2015 engine. Doh. That has gone down like a lead turd in Milton Keynes.
VW....not any more!!
The big rumour was they would take Ferrari engines of some sort for two years, then VW would come in and buy Red Bull out.
Not any more. You try losing £3 billion then coming into F1!!
So, as the clock strikes twelve, the latest is they may have an unmarked Renault engine after all.
Will they be on the grid next year?
One thing for sure is that Evil Bernie is doing all he can to help.
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
Monday, 2 November 2015
30 days, 30 blogs...Day one: My love for F1 never really dies
Justin:
It has been a while!
I last blogged about the Hungarian GP back in late July. Since then, I've, more often than not, gotten a little frustrated watching F1.
In a fair few races there was a distinct lack of unpredictability about the race for first. Essentially, due to Hamilton's dominance over Rosberg, there was no racing for the win.
There has been racing galore through the field, but fun though that is, I really get off on the race for the win.
It only takes a moment to restore the faith
Maybe my deep passion for F1 allows it too easily back into my good books, who knows. Before Austin and Mexico City, I actually fell asleep during a couple of races.
Austin was an insane race from start to finish. From early on, the two Red Bulls got into the mix and certainly upset the Mercedes running order.
Capgate was hillarious! One can understand Rosberg being frustrated and angry with himself and that probably enhanced his feeling of annoyance at being run out of road by Hamilton at the start.
The race in Mexico City - erm, wow! Every time the cars raced through the baseball stadium section, where the cars go between two massive grandstands, you could hear the roar of the crowd.
The podium celebrations taking place in that area, rather than the pit straight, was a pure stroke of genius. F1 is back in Mexico.
So, as part of a series of challenges I am setting myself over the next 30 days, one of those is to compose an F1 blog every day. No matter how long or short, any or all F1 topics may come up.
There is plenty going on in F1 right now to chat about, plus the fact I currently have four F1 books on my coffee table to read.
Here are a few pics from Hungary that I took, to remind us all where I last left the blogging.
Catch you tomorrow.
It has been a while!
I last blogged about the Hungarian GP back in late July. Since then, I've, more often than not, gotten a little frustrated watching F1.
In a fair few races there was a distinct lack of unpredictability about the race for first. Essentially, due to Hamilton's dominance over Rosberg, there was no racing for the win.
There has been racing galore through the field, but fun though that is, I really get off on the race for the win.
It only takes a moment to restore the faith
Maybe my deep passion for F1 allows it too easily back into my good books, who knows. Before Austin and Mexico City, I actually fell asleep during a couple of races.
Austin was an insane race from start to finish. From early on, the two Red Bulls got into the mix and certainly upset the Mercedes running order.
Capgate was hillarious! One can understand Rosberg being frustrated and angry with himself and that probably enhanced his feeling of annoyance at being run out of road by Hamilton at the start.
The race in Mexico City - erm, wow! Every time the cars raced through the baseball stadium section, where the cars go between two massive grandstands, you could hear the roar of the crowd.
The podium celebrations taking place in that area, rather than the pit straight, was a pure stroke of genius. F1 is back in Mexico.
So, as part of a series of challenges I am setting myself over the next 30 days, one of those is to compose an F1 blog every day. No matter how long or short, any or all F1 topics may come up.
There is plenty going on in F1 right now to chat about, plus the fact I currently have four F1 books on my coffee table to read.
Here are a few pics from Hungary that I took, to remind us all where I last left the blogging.
Catch you tomorrow.
Sunday, 16 August 2015
Hungary - A 30th Birthday to remember
Justin:
Well, instead of asking what Hungary offered up as a race, it would be much simpler to ask what did it not offer?
Not much, is the answer. It had everything. Overtakes, rocket launches at the start, prangs, offs, people surging through the field, safety cars...overtakes, prangs...best race of the year!
I was there to witness it all first hand. What a race to pick to go and see live!
It was bloody hot, with the Friday and Saturday reaching 38/39 degrees centigrade - with a track temperature of 59 degrees centigrade. That is insane.
We were sat in a stand (never figured that one out) at the first chicane - turn 5 or 6 I think? I couldn't believe the roar when the cars came round on lap one with the Ferrari pair leading the way.
The roar was even louder when Lewis binned it into the kitty litter. Video here:
You can hear me shouting "Was that Hamilton??!!". The video screen was a way down the road and whilst you can identify people via their helmets (though my co-blogger seemed befuddled by the clear distinction between Nico's black helmet and the white one of Lewis), in the first lap melee I lost track in the crowd eruption.
Finns and Ferrari
I'd say 90% of fans were Ferrari fans of some description and there were a mighty load of Finnish people supporting Kimi. They don't appear to notice that Bottas is of the same country.
Nico
A huge lost opportunity here for Nico. Ok he couldn't keep up with the Red team and was nowhere near as quick as Lewis all weekend. After Hamilton went off, there was bags of time between the two drivers, but for some reason Nico just couldn't catch the guys ahead and seemed to fixate on what Lewis was up to behind. As it happened, drama unfolded late on for both as Hamilton received a drive through in his most error-strewn race since 2011 and Rosberg...oh Nico.
It was difficult keeping track of who was where sometimes so the first we saw was a Mercedes tootling around with a puncture...or was he just going really slow when he came by us?
I'm happy
Alonso - legend. Pushing his car back to the pits after it conked out in qualy then hauling it to a superb 5th place on Sunday. You could see in qualy and indeed in the race that he was pushing to the limit, the McLaren dancing..skating...off the kerb coming out of the chicane as it accelerated away. Beautiful watching F1 at this part of the track. Oh, and on the Thursday evening pitwalk (we got there despite a walk of death across hills and fields for 40 minutes through an electrical storm) I saw Alonso sat in his car. Awesome.
Jules - #17
The minute of silence in his memory was observed beautifully by all of the 80/90,000 fans at the circuit. I couldn't believe how silent it was and how emotional it all was. That's what I love about F1. We all follow different drivers and teams, but we all love F1. Jules was a part of what we love.
Next stop = Belgium.
Well, instead of asking what Hungary offered up as a race, it would be much simpler to ask what did it not offer?
Not much, is the answer. It had everything. Overtakes, rocket launches at the start, prangs, offs, people surging through the field, safety cars...overtakes, prangs...best race of the year!
I was there to witness it all first hand. What a race to pick to go and see live!
It was bloody hot, with the Friday and Saturday reaching 38/39 degrees centigrade - with a track temperature of 59 degrees centigrade. That is insane.
We were sat in a stand (never figured that one out) at the first chicane - turn 5 or 6 I think? I couldn't believe the roar when the cars came round on lap one with the Ferrari pair leading the way.
The roar was even louder when Lewis binned it into the kitty litter. Video here:
Finns and Ferrari
I'd say 90% of fans were Ferrari fans of some description and there were a mighty load of Finnish people supporting Kimi. They don't appear to notice that Bottas is of the same country.
Nico
A huge lost opportunity here for Nico. Ok he couldn't keep up with the Red team and was nowhere near as quick as Lewis all weekend. After Hamilton went off, there was bags of time between the two drivers, but for some reason Nico just couldn't catch the guys ahead and seemed to fixate on what Lewis was up to behind. As it happened, drama unfolded late on for both as Hamilton received a drive through in his most error-strewn race since 2011 and Rosberg...oh Nico.
It was difficult keeping track of who was where sometimes so the first we saw was a Mercedes tootling around with a puncture...or was he just going really slow when he came by us?
I'm happy
Alonso - legend. Pushing his car back to the pits after it conked out in qualy then hauling it to a superb 5th place on Sunday. You could see in qualy and indeed in the race that he was pushing to the limit, the McLaren dancing..skating...off the kerb coming out of the chicane as it accelerated away. Beautiful watching F1 at this part of the track. Oh, and on the Thursday evening pitwalk (we got there despite a walk of death across hills and fields for 40 minutes through an electrical storm) I saw Alonso sat in his car. Awesome.
Jules - #17
The minute of silence in his memory was observed beautifully by all of the 80/90,000 fans at the circuit. I couldn't believe how silent it was and how emotional it all was. That's what I love about F1. We all follow different drivers and teams, but we all love F1. Jules was a part of what we love.
Next stop = Belgium.
Sunday, 28 June 2015
30th Birthday party in Hungary!
Justin:
In two F1 related moments, following one after the other, my summer really kicked off in big time stylee.
I went to see Fleetwood Mac on June 24th. They opened with The Chain. A long time classic with F1 fans. It brought tears to my eyes - such an emotive song. I'd been waiting years to see them and built it up in my mind. The gig was even better than I could have ever imagined.
When I returned from Fleetwood Mac, on June 25th, UPS delivered 4 grandstand seat tickets for the Hungarian GP weekend. Booyaa!
According to the tickets, it will be a massive party as Hungary is celebrating its 30th Grand Prix this year. It will be a pleasure to be a part of it.
In a third F1 related incident, I appear to have loaned out my book "The Limit" and I have somehow lost track of who has it. Fellow blogger Phil Smith - is it you? If you reply with your usual "It's me", it will be a relief. I know you have my other book "Chequered Conflict"...right?!
Season so far
In my last post I remarked that I couldn't see anyone beating Hamilton this year, with the form he was in. Rosberg won in Spain, lady luck helped him win in Monaco, Hamilton was quicker in Canada and Rosberg was the faster guy in Austria.
Three wins in the last four races has seen Rosberg peg back Hamilton and only ten points separate the two now.
It was the manner of Rosberg winning in Austria that made a lot of people sit up and take notice. He buried Hamilton off the start and was quicker all race, all weekend in fact. Hamilton was on the backfoot for the first time this year. Ok, it all fluctuates, one will be quicker than the other and vice versa from race to race.
I think Rosberg has finally got his shit together now. It is time for this title fight to get going!
Elsewhere McLaren toil still, as do Red Bull.
Hulkenberg won LeMans, which surely increases his stock for a top drive next year - though I hear Ferrari are looking at Bottas.
Races have been a tad dull this year so far. Let us hope for more Rosberg vs Hamilton antics up front to liven shit up a bit!
Formula E?
No...just...no.
Richard Branson thinks this will be bigger than F1 in a few years. No Richard, no!
As my number one bullet point on a long list, it has a lot of drivers who are not good enough for F1 or who never got there in the first place (perhaps harsh on Bruno Senna and JEV, but hey, life is harsh chaps). It has pure novelty value in having Senna, Prost and Piquet on the same grid again.
Though, my opinion on Nelson Piquet Junior is only higher than my opinion of Flavio Briatorie..just.
I believe Jarno Trulli has taken time away from winemaking to take part. Combining hobbies eh.
And lastly..
When I informed a good friend that the tickets had arrived, he texted back saying "Will Alonso finish in the points?".
I replied "Compared to Belgium (when the three amigos last rode to a GP in 2012), just getting around the first lap will be a bonus!".
Though in his McLaren, that might be a wish beyond the capability of his machinery.
Hungary. 2015. Let's do this.
(That said, of course, it is the British GP next weekend - how could I forget? So, Rosberg to win?).
I'll sign off with this statement of fact.
You do not win three races in three years at Monaco if you are but a "very good" driver.
In two F1 related moments, following one after the other, my summer really kicked off in big time stylee.
I went to see Fleetwood Mac on June 24th. They opened with The Chain. A long time classic with F1 fans. It brought tears to my eyes - such an emotive song. I'd been waiting years to see them and built it up in my mind. The gig was even better than I could have ever imagined.
When I returned from Fleetwood Mac, on June 25th, UPS delivered 4 grandstand seat tickets for the Hungarian GP weekend. Booyaa!
According to the tickets, it will be a massive party as Hungary is celebrating its 30th Grand Prix this year. It will be a pleasure to be a part of it.
In a third F1 related incident, I appear to have loaned out my book "The Limit" and I have somehow lost track of who has it. Fellow blogger Phil Smith - is it you? If you reply with your usual "It's me", it will be a relief. I know you have my other book "Chequered Conflict"...right?!
Season so far
In my last post I remarked that I couldn't see anyone beating Hamilton this year, with the form he was in. Rosberg won in Spain, lady luck helped him win in Monaco, Hamilton was quicker in Canada and Rosberg was the faster guy in Austria.
Three wins in the last four races has seen Rosberg peg back Hamilton and only ten points separate the two now.
It was the manner of Rosberg winning in Austria that made a lot of people sit up and take notice. He buried Hamilton off the start and was quicker all race, all weekend in fact. Hamilton was on the backfoot for the first time this year. Ok, it all fluctuates, one will be quicker than the other and vice versa from race to race.
I think Rosberg has finally got his shit together now. It is time for this title fight to get going!
Elsewhere McLaren toil still, as do Red Bull.
Hulkenberg won LeMans, which surely increases his stock for a top drive next year - though I hear Ferrari are looking at Bottas.
Races have been a tad dull this year so far. Let us hope for more Rosberg vs Hamilton antics up front to liven shit up a bit!
Formula E?
No...just...no.
Richard Branson thinks this will be bigger than F1 in a few years. No Richard, no!
As my number one bullet point on a long list, it has a lot of drivers who are not good enough for F1 or who never got there in the first place (perhaps harsh on Bruno Senna and JEV, but hey, life is harsh chaps). It has pure novelty value in having Senna, Prost and Piquet on the same grid again.
Though, my opinion on Nelson Piquet Junior is only higher than my opinion of Flavio Briatorie..just.
I believe Jarno Trulli has taken time away from winemaking to take part. Combining hobbies eh.
And lastly..
When I informed a good friend that the tickets had arrived, he texted back saying "Will Alonso finish in the points?".
I replied "Compared to Belgium (when the three amigos last rode to a GP in 2012), just getting around the first lap will be a bonus!".
Though in his McLaren, that might be a wish beyond the capability of his machinery.
Hungary. 2015. Let's do this.
(That said, of course, it is the British GP next weekend - how could I forget? So, Rosberg to win?).
I'll sign off with this statement of fact.
You do not win three races in three years at Monaco if you are but a "very good" driver.
Saturday, 28 March 2015
2015...so far, so average..?
Justin:
At the start of the year I tipped Rosberg to come back stronger this year and push Hamilton even closer for the world title.
At this point in time, I cannot see anyone other than Hamilton winning the world title.
He steamrollered Rosberg in Australia and is threatening the same again this weekend in Malaysia. He is on a roll of 7 wins in the last 8 GP's.
Rosberg needed a strong weekend this weekend, but no matter what he does or how strong he is, Hamilton has an answer.
Lewis didn't get as much prep time during the free practice sessions, but still stuck it on pole. Job done.
Nico will have to use everything at his disposal to try and put Lewis off his game. It's a different dynamic to last year, in that Lewis has the confidence of a world champion and with Nico giving soundbites such as "yeah, he is driving like a champion" - fighting talk that is not.
Having said that, there was a brief bit of petty handbags again as Nico disrupted Lewis' final pole run, then Lewis got in Nico's way a bit. Whether either was deliberate, who knows, but they were both piddling around for clear track position to get a clean lap.
McLaren
Interesting looking at the pictures on BBC when Alonso hopped out of his car, Ron Dennis turned around as if to address him and Alonso walked off. Whether he knew he was there is another matter.
There is still loads of speculation about Alonso's testing crash. McLaren say there was nothing wrong with the car at all. He stated this weekend that he felt the steering go heavy. Everyone else has written about this, I'll leave it to you to decide whether you want to let this rest or not.
I'm not exactly looking forward to watching two world champions piddle around fighting to see who finishes next to last (assuming the Marussia's conk out).
Red Bull and Renault
Who knows what the future holds for these two? Rumours abount that Renault want to purchase Toro Rosso and have it as a works team. What definately seems to be the case, is that this is a marriage of convenience right now.
Ferrari
Ok, you would have to say Vettel seems to have made the right move. Red Bull have gone backwards and Ferrari have gone forwards.
I still say he ran away from Red Bull. He admitted in an interview today in fact "there were a couple of things on the other side" - alluding to him not being too happy at being beaten soundly by Ricciardo. But, heyho, Ferrari now seem to be the closest challenger to Mercedes.
With Rosberg seemingly in Hamilton's pocket for the time being, Ferrari entering the fray is the only hope we have of a good season.
Driver of the day in Australia had to be Felipe Nasr. Awesome stuff!
Is F1 in good health?
My co-blogger and I were talking about this the other day. I'm not sure F1 is in great health right now. 15 cars started the race in Oz. Not great. McLaren are floundering at the back, Bernie is having a pop at "disgraceful Marussia", no German GP...
Bernie goes where the money is - ie the money paid by whomever to stage a race. He doesnt go where paying fans are. The stands and viewing areas were pretty empty in Malaysia FP. OK, possibly a naff example as it's one of the more popular newer races and is generally well attended for qualy and the race.
The old one of Monza again being under threat has come round again. Talk about ripping the heart out of F1. Spa, Silverstone, Suzuka, Monza, Monaco...these are the essence of F1 and must stay.
That said, I'm not sure about the special "bargain" price of £99 GA for a weekend at Silverstone. Most European races are cheaper. It cost me £82 for a 3 day grandstand seat in Hungary!
The reverse is that you have a lot of interesting teammate battles this year - Kimi Vs Seb, Alonso Vs JB....Ricciardo seems to have the measure of Kvyat for now. Nico needs to come back and sort Lewis. This season is shaping up like last season without the Mercedes battle - not good!
Predictions for Malaysia? As they line up on the grid - Lewis, Seb, Nico.
At the start of the year I tipped Rosberg to come back stronger this year and push Hamilton even closer for the world title.
At this point in time, I cannot see anyone other than Hamilton winning the world title.
He steamrollered Rosberg in Australia and is threatening the same again this weekend in Malaysia. He is on a roll of 7 wins in the last 8 GP's.
Rosberg needed a strong weekend this weekend, but no matter what he does or how strong he is, Hamilton has an answer.
Lewis didn't get as much prep time during the free practice sessions, but still stuck it on pole. Job done.
Nico will have to use everything at his disposal to try and put Lewis off his game. It's a different dynamic to last year, in that Lewis has the confidence of a world champion and with Nico giving soundbites such as "yeah, he is driving like a champion" - fighting talk that is not.
Having said that, there was a brief bit of petty handbags again as Nico disrupted Lewis' final pole run, then Lewis got in Nico's way a bit. Whether either was deliberate, who knows, but they were both piddling around for clear track position to get a clean lap.
McLaren
Interesting looking at the pictures on BBC when Alonso hopped out of his car, Ron Dennis turned around as if to address him and Alonso walked off. Whether he knew he was there is another matter.
There is still loads of speculation about Alonso's testing crash. McLaren say there was nothing wrong with the car at all. He stated this weekend that he felt the steering go heavy. Everyone else has written about this, I'll leave it to you to decide whether you want to let this rest or not.
I'm not exactly looking forward to watching two world champions piddle around fighting to see who finishes next to last (assuming the Marussia's conk out).
Red Bull and Renault
Who knows what the future holds for these two? Rumours abount that Renault want to purchase Toro Rosso and have it as a works team. What definately seems to be the case, is that this is a marriage of convenience right now.
Ferrari
Ok, you would have to say Vettel seems to have made the right move. Red Bull have gone backwards and Ferrari have gone forwards.
I still say he ran away from Red Bull. He admitted in an interview today in fact "there were a couple of things on the other side" - alluding to him not being too happy at being beaten soundly by Ricciardo. But, heyho, Ferrari now seem to be the closest challenger to Mercedes.
With Rosberg seemingly in Hamilton's pocket for the time being, Ferrari entering the fray is the only hope we have of a good season.
Driver of the day in Australia had to be Felipe Nasr. Awesome stuff!
Is F1 in good health?
My co-blogger and I were talking about this the other day. I'm not sure F1 is in great health right now. 15 cars started the race in Oz. Not great. McLaren are floundering at the back, Bernie is having a pop at "disgraceful Marussia", no German GP...
Bernie goes where the money is - ie the money paid by whomever to stage a race. He doesnt go where paying fans are. The stands and viewing areas were pretty empty in Malaysia FP. OK, possibly a naff example as it's one of the more popular newer races and is generally well attended for qualy and the race.
The old one of Monza again being under threat has come round again. Talk about ripping the heart out of F1. Spa, Silverstone, Suzuka, Monza, Monaco...these are the essence of F1 and must stay.
That said, I'm not sure about the special "bargain" price of £99 GA for a weekend at Silverstone. Most European races are cheaper. It cost me £82 for a 3 day grandstand seat in Hungary!
The reverse is that you have a lot of interesting teammate battles this year - Kimi Vs Seb, Alonso Vs JB....Ricciardo seems to have the measure of Kvyat for now. Nico needs to come back and sort Lewis. This season is shaping up like last season without the Mercedes battle - not good!
Predictions for Malaysia? As they line up on the grid - Lewis, Seb, Nico.
Sunday, 7 December 2014
F1 2014 - Final blog of the year
Justin:
Well, the "title showdown" turned out to be a damp squib in terms of Rosberg and Hamilton going at it to the death.
The race itself was pretty dull, as most in Abu Dhabi are. The title was decided at the start when Lewis made an amazing start and Rosberg bogged down.
Rosberg was very gracious in defeat and wounds seemed to have healed for now between the two men.
Nico himself said that he didn't want people to talk about his ERS failure, as it wouldn't have made a difference anyway as Lewis was leading and going well at the time.
His team completely blamed him for what in my mind was a mere racing incident. They fined him and told him off rather publicly. Add to that the fans opening and happily booing him. It clearly affected him. His races were littered with errors after Spa.
By the time he'd pulled himself together again with an absolutely sterling race weekend in Brazil, it was all probably to little too late to stop the Hamilton Juggernaut.
Both guys will come back stronger next year, but I expect Nico to run Lewis even closer than 2014. You heard it hear first. Nico Rosberg - 2015 World Champion!
Lewis has shown a certain level of maturity in his driving and attitude outside the car this year.
Motorsport magazine actually had Alonso as their driver of the year, and that is hard to argue with. Ok, there were no headline grabbing wins and just one podium. The Ferrari he is driving this year is the worst car he has had in his 5 years there and yet he still drags performances out of it that his team-mate gets nowhere near to. It was the 4th, possibly even 5th fastest car at times this year. Ok, Kimi struggled with balancing the car all year, but Alonso absolutely destroyed Kimi 16-3 in terms of races done better in (the best out of all the teams). You'd say Massa kept Alonso on his toes more than Kimi.
1. Daniel Ricciardo
2. Bottas/ Hamilton
3. Alonso
4. Rosberg
5. Button
Possibly one of the naffest title defences in history. Ok, you don't have the best car to win the title, but at least get a race win or two. No? Get trashed by your team-mate and run away? Ok then.
The true greats always adapt. Vettel has to go to Ferrari and blow Kimi away, that should be the first thing on his to do list.
Also, the Alonso vs Vettel duel at Silverstone. Epic! Even more epic were the verbals over the radio.
To 2015 we go. We hope to see JB still at McLaren alongside Alonso next season - that could be fun. Alonso...doing a deal with the devil that is Dennis again.....hmmmmmm.
I need to purchase some Alonso/ McLaren merchandise, whenever they get around to announcing it.
Enjoy the next 3 months with no F1 :-(. Time for an F1 book and the review of the year dvd.
A picture, as Fernando Alonso leaves Ferrari after 5 years, of one of the many memorable moments he had there.... a win in the wet in Malaysia in 2012 (pic from bbc I think).
If he reads this, I invite my esteemed co-blogger to reply.
Well, the "title showdown" turned out to be a damp squib in terms of Rosberg and Hamilton going at it to the death.
The race itself was pretty dull, as most in Abu Dhabi are. The title was decided at the start when Lewis made an amazing start and Rosberg bogged down.
Rosberg was very gracious in defeat and wounds seemed to have healed for now between the two men.
Nico himself said that he didn't want people to talk about his ERS failure, as it wouldn't have made a difference anyway as Lewis was leading and going well at the time.
Spa - The turning point
The drivers championship was won and lost in Spa, rather after Spa. However much Lewis said he came out ready for war after this, one could easily say that Nico lost his mental edge in the fallout.His team completely blamed him for what in my mind was a mere racing incident. They fined him and told him off rather publicly. Add to that the fans opening and happily booing him. It clearly affected him. His races were littered with errors after Spa.
By the time he'd pulled himself together again with an absolutely sterling race weekend in Brazil, it was all probably to little too late to stop the Hamilton Juggernaut.
Both guys will come back stronger next year, but I expect Nico to run Lewis even closer than 2014. You heard it hear first. Nico Rosberg - 2015 World Champion!
Driver of the year
I've already mentioned Bottas and Ricciardo as clear contenders. Obviously Hamilton is clear choice for the award, but maybe that's too easy given he won the title?Lewis has shown a certain level of maturity in his driving and attitude outside the car this year.
Motorsport magazine actually had Alonso as their driver of the year, and that is hard to argue with. Ok, there were no headline grabbing wins and just one podium. The Ferrari he is driving this year is the worst car he has had in his 5 years there and yet he still drags performances out of it that his team-mate gets nowhere near to. It was the 4th, possibly even 5th fastest car at times this year. Ok, Kimi struggled with balancing the car all year, but Alonso absolutely destroyed Kimi 16-3 in terms of races done better in (the best out of all the teams). You'd say Massa kept Alonso on his toes more than Kimi.
1. Daniel Ricciardo
2. Bottas/ Hamilton
3. Alonso
4. Rosberg
5. Button
Damp Squib of the year
One word. Vettel.Possibly one of the naffest title defences in history. Ok, you don't have the best car to win the title, but at least get a race win or two. No? Get trashed by your team-mate and run away? Ok then.
The true greats always adapt. Vettel has to go to Ferrari and blow Kimi away, that should be the first thing on his to do list.
Squabble of the year
Erm, any overtakes involving Ricciardo. That dude can race!!Also, the Alonso vs Vettel duel at Silverstone. Epic! Even more epic were the verbals over the radio.
To 2015 we go. We hope to see JB still at McLaren alongside Alonso next season - that could be fun. Alonso...doing a deal with the devil that is Dennis again.....hmmmmmm.
I need to purchase some Alonso/ McLaren merchandise, whenever they get around to announcing it.
Enjoy the next 3 months with no F1 :-(. Time for an F1 book and the review of the year dvd.
A picture, as Fernando Alonso leaves Ferrari after 5 years, of one of the many memorable moments he had there.... a win in the wet in Malaysia in 2012 (pic from bbc I think).
If he reads this, I invite my esteemed co-blogger to reply.
Sunday, 12 October 2014
Unquestionably....it's time to blog again...
Justin:
Sunday 5 October 2014:
A lot has happened since I last blogged in April.
I have to start with today in Japan. We were given a brutal reminder that, despite people saying F1 is too safe these days, it's still a very dangerous sport.
We await news of how Jules Bianchi is doing.
In a dark day for F1, it was announced that Andrea de Cesaris has sadly passed away aged 55.
I had a huge blog planned, reviewing the championship battle between the Mercedes duo, the driver market musical chairs kicking off with Vettel announcing he is to leave Red Bull, where Alonso could be headed, Nigel Mansell thinking everything is fantastic....
Sunday 12 October 2014:
At the start of the year I tipped Rosberg for the title, and up until recently I still stood by my tip.
Now I am not as sure.
He could still do it. 17 points behind Lewis is not a huge gap. One DNF for Lewis and it all changes again. That said, the momentum is clearly with Lewis now. 4 wins on the spin and a frankly crushing victory in Russia today means he has 9 wins this season to 4 for Rosberg.
Whenever they go wheel to wheel, Rosberg seems to bottle it. He is super quick, as proved by him having more poles than Hamilton this year. He is a great racer, as proved by his many a drives this season, and indeed his recovery drive today from the back to second.
It just seems Lewis has the clear upper hand when they are both near each other on track. Rosberg lunged for the move today and didn't make it stick via locking his tyres and flat-spotting them. Race over in terms of going for the win. In Japan he soaked up the pressure from Lewis pretty well as Lewis stalked him for 30 laps before that ridiculous move around the outside of turn 1.
These two have given us drama, fighting, politics, ruthlessness, falling out and great racing all year. I hope it goes to the wire, but in many ways I very much hope that the stupid double points doesnt change the destiny of this years world drivers title.
Mercedes wrapped up their first ever constructors title today. When they were winning in the 50's, there was no constructors title to fight for.
Rosberg and Hamilton were united in seeming really pleased and happy for the team. Rosberg said he was extremely disappointed on one hand, for his mistake at the start, but happy for the team etc.
USA is next, a track where Lewis excels. I expect another Hamilton win there, with Rosberg second, taking the points gap to 25 with two to go.
Driver of the year??
It is a very close call between Ricciardo and Bottas. Bottas has 6 podiums this year now, 4 in a row now I believe? He looked close to the Mercedes duo in qualifying and had pole within his grasp.
But I think Ricciardo shades it for me. Simply outstanding all year. End of discussion. He has effectively dumped Vettel out of his own team, stripped him of his number one status and sent him running away to Ferrari.
Musical chairs
Vettel has announced he is to leave Red Bull, but not announced where he is off to. Christian Horner has been on record saying it's Ferrari who have offered Vettel a lot of money to go.
Everyone was expecting Alonso to announce something first, this triggering the merry-go-round, but Ferrari have blinked first by signing Vettel...but they have not announced it yet.
Rumour is that Alonso approached Mercedes a few months ago and Ferrari viewed this as him not being committed for the future. Fair enough really. However, Ferrari have said it will be at least 2 years before they get on top of the current shambles they are in. Alonso is 33 now and he is hungry for more world titles.
Has he backed himself into a corner? Perhaps. Mclaren Honda is his rumoured destination, but they themselves may not be winning straight away. It's a roll of the dice, but certainly you could argue he won't be any worse off than he is now a Ferrari really.
Anything could happen in F1 though. Could Ferrari dump Kimi again and keep Alonso alongside Vettel?
This does not sit well with me....but another rumour is Alonso taking a year off with a view to a top drive in 2016. For someone like Alonso though, surely this is the last option to take, with F1 racing in his blood he is widely acknowledged as the best on the grid (after the 2012 season 9 out of 11 team bosses voted for him as the very best on the grid).
To Austin we go in 3 weeks!
Sunday 5 October 2014:
A lot has happened since I last blogged in April.
I have to start with today in Japan. We were given a brutal reminder that, despite people saying F1 is too safe these days, it's still a very dangerous sport.
We await news of how Jules Bianchi is doing.
In a dark day for F1, it was announced that Andrea de Cesaris has sadly passed away aged 55.
I had a huge blog planned, reviewing the championship battle between the Mercedes duo, the driver market musical chairs kicking off with Vettel announcing he is to leave Red Bull, where Alonso could be headed, Nigel Mansell thinking everything is fantastic....
Sunday 12 October 2014:
At the start of the year I tipped Rosberg for the title, and up until recently I still stood by my tip.
Now I am not as sure.
He could still do it. 17 points behind Lewis is not a huge gap. One DNF for Lewis and it all changes again. That said, the momentum is clearly with Lewis now. 4 wins on the spin and a frankly crushing victory in Russia today means he has 9 wins this season to 4 for Rosberg.
Whenever they go wheel to wheel, Rosberg seems to bottle it. He is super quick, as proved by him having more poles than Hamilton this year. He is a great racer, as proved by his many a drives this season, and indeed his recovery drive today from the back to second.
It just seems Lewis has the clear upper hand when they are both near each other on track. Rosberg lunged for the move today and didn't make it stick via locking his tyres and flat-spotting them. Race over in terms of going for the win. In Japan he soaked up the pressure from Lewis pretty well as Lewis stalked him for 30 laps before that ridiculous move around the outside of turn 1.
These two have given us drama, fighting, politics, ruthlessness, falling out and great racing all year. I hope it goes to the wire, but in many ways I very much hope that the stupid double points doesnt change the destiny of this years world drivers title.
Mercedes wrapped up their first ever constructors title today. When they were winning in the 50's, there was no constructors title to fight for.
Rosberg and Hamilton were united in seeming really pleased and happy for the team. Rosberg said he was extremely disappointed on one hand, for his mistake at the start, but happy for the team etc.
USA is next, a track where Lewis excels. I expect another Hamilton win there, with Rosberg second, taking the points gap to 25 with two to go.
Driver of the year??
It is a very close call between Ricciardo and Bottas. Bottas has 6 podiums this year now, 4 in a row now I believe? He looked close to the Mercedes duo in qualifying and had pole within his grasp.
But I think Ricciardo shades it for me. Simply outstanding all year. End of discussion. He has effectively dumped Vettel out of his own team, stripped him of his number one status and sent him running away to Ferrari.
Musical chairs
Vettel has announced he is to leave Red Bull, but not announced where he is off to. Christian Horner has been on record saying it's Ferrari who have offered Vettel a lot of money to go.
Everyone was expecting Alonso to announce something first, this triggering the merry-go-round, but Ferrari have blinked first by signing Vettel...but they have not announced it yet.
Rumour is that Alonso approached Mercedes a few months ago and Ferrari viewed this as him not being committed for the future. Fair enough really. However, Ferrari have said it will be at least 2 years before they get on top of the current shambles they are in. Alonso is 33 now and he is hungry for more world titles.
Has he backed himself into a corner? Perhaps. Mclaren Honda is his rumoured destination, but they themselves may not be winning straight away. It's a roll of the dice, but certainly you could argue he won't be any worse off than he is now a Ferrari really.
Anything could happen in F1 though. Could Ferrari dump Kimi again and keep Alonso alongside Vettel?
This does not sit well with me....but another rumour is Alonso taking a year off with a view to a top drive in 2016. For someone like Alonso though, surely this is the last option to take, with F1 racing in his blood he is widely acknowledged as the best on the grid (after the 2012 season 9 out of 11 team bosses voted for him as the very best on the grid).
To Austin we go in 3 weeks!
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